1967–68 Los Angeles Kings season
The 1967–68 Los Angeles Kings season was the first season for the Kings in the National Hockey League. Offseason The Kings were one of six expansion teams, which doubled the size of the league from six to twelve. The Kings were placed in the newly established West Division, along with the other expansion teams: the California Seals, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. The Kings picked goaltenders Terry Sawchuk and Wayne Rutledge with their first picks of the Expansion Draft, but the Kings did not rely on the draft. Owner Jack Kent Cooke purchased the American Hockey League's Springfield Indians for $1 million to bolster the Kings roster. Long-time Indians player Brian Kilrea would score the Kings' first goal. Regular season The Kings played their home games in three locations during that inaugural campaign. They alternated between both the Long Beach Arena and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena before the brand new arena built by Cooke and known as The Forum would become their permanent home. In the first game ever at The Forum, they lost 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers. This loss came back to haunt them as they finished in 2nd place, one point behind the Flyers. The Los Angeles Kings were a team that writers predicted to finish last in the new West Division.Brian McFarlane, 50 Years of Hockey, pp. 140–143, Greywood Publishing Ltd, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Surprisingly, the Kings finished second, just one point out of first. Bill Flett scored 26 goals, while Eddie Joyal scored 23 goals, adding 34 assists for 57 points and was the second leading scorer in the West Division. The Kings combined to go 20-13-4 in their 37 home games spread over 3 arenas that first season. On the road, Los Angeles posted a record of just 11-20-6. The Kings finished a surprising second place in the Western Conference behind the coaching of Red Kelly, who as a player holds the distinction of playing on the most Stanley Cup championship teams without any of them including time in Montreal. The goaltending tandem of future hall of famer Terry Sawchuk and Wayne Rutledge allowed the team to stay in most games. The Kings had the best record of any of the expansion teams against the "Original Six", going a respectable 10-12-2, including winning their first two games ever against the storied Montreal Canadiens. Season standings Game log |- | November |- | December |- | January |- | February |- | March |} Playoffs 1968 NHL Quarter-finals Minnesota North Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings Minnesota wins best-of-seven series 4–3. Doug Robinson and Lowell MacDonald led all Kings playoff scorers with 7 points, while Eddie Joyal and Gord Labossiere had 5 points each. Player stats Forwards Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes Defencemen Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes Goaltending Note: GP = Games played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average Awards and records Records Individual *March 10, 1968: Fastest two goals, 6 seconds apart, Bill Flett at 9:14 of first period, and Eddie Joyal at 9:20. Team *Fewest short-handed goals against in season, 3 *Most shutouts against in season, 9 Milestones Transactions *June 8, 1967 – Acquired the rights to Red Kelly from Toronto for Ken Block. *June 16, 1967 – Acquired Trevor Fahey, Jim Murray and Ken Turlik from the New York for Barclay Plager. Draft picks NHL draft *NOTE: Back before 1979, the amateur draft was held with varying rules and procedures. In 1967, teams only needed to select as many player as they wanted to, which is why there was only one Kings player drafted. Expansion draft * Los Angeles Kings selections Farm teams * Springfield Indians (American Hockey League) Game Ads 67-68NHLExhLAKingsBarrieGameAd.jpg|Pre-season @ Barrie, Ontario Goaltenders: • • Defensemen: • • • • • • • • Forwards: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • References * Kings on Hockey Database Category:Los Angeles Kings seasons Category:1967 in hockey Category:1968 in hockey